[1][2] 1805, the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and aided by Sacajawea of the Shoshone tribe, crossed the Bitterroot Range several times.

In June 1806 the Corps of Discovery was then lead by 5 members of the Nez Percé back across the Bitterroot Range, from west to east.

The Bitterroots also presented a massive problem for the expedition, ending their hope of finding an all water Northwest Passage.

[4] According to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the Bitterroot Range runs from Pend Oreille Lake (near Sandpoint, Idaho) to Monida Pass,.

[6] The Saint Joe Mountains, the smallest named portion of the Bitterroot Range, encompass an area of 698 square miles (1,808 km2).